VdA

Information, Communication & Technology and Digital Frontiers

Magda Cocco joined VdA in 1994. Regulatory & Digital Executive Partner, Partner of the Information, Communication and Technology practice, Head of the Digital Frontiers practice and the Aerospace sector, Magda has in-depth knowledge and experience with innovative technological projects in the electronic communications industry and across several jurisdictions and regions, notably Europe and Africa.

She has led multidisciplinary teams in different ICT projects & transactions and assisted Governments and Regulatory Entities in connection with the definition of regulatory policies and legislative drafting, having also advised various international organizations such as International Telecommunications Union, the World Bank and the European Investment Bank.

Magda has provided expert advice to companies and public entities across different industries on several digital economy legal issues, from electronic and postal communications to information and emerging technologies, such as robotics, blockchain, nanotechnology, Big Data and IoT. She also specializes in AI topics, leading internally the VdA legal products in the context of the Centre for Responsible AI consortium and she participates in the working group of the Bridge AI project, aiming to provide guidance to policy makers when implementing the AI ACT.

She also advises clients on Data Protection & Cybersecurity. In this context, she has assisted several entities in connection with governance matters and data related strategies, coordinated several GDPR compliance programs and assisted public and private entities in connection with Cybersecurity threats.

Magda has been involved in various Space sector projects, including negotiating contracts for satellite construction and launch and for the installation of ground stations, and assisted Governments in connection with the definition and drafting of Space-related strategies and legislation. She is also leading internally the VdA legal products in the context of the New Space Portugal consortium.

She is a member of the Observatory of Digital Ecosystems and Infrastructures (OEID) advisory board, and board member of the Portuguese Quantum Institute (PQI). She is an Officer at the International Bar Association (IBA) Communications Law Committee, and she co-coordinated the world-class project of the IBA Metaverse Regulation Guide. She is a member of the European Union’s Digital for Development (D4D) Hub Private Sector Advisory Group (PSAG), a member of the World Economic Forum’s “Defining and Building the Metaverse” Governance working group and the “AI Global Alliance - Resilient Governance and Regulation” working group. She participated as an Independent Expert in the drawing-up of the first General-Purpose AI Code of Practice by European Commission’s EU AI Office. She also participates in several Space sector-related forums, namely the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), and she is VdA’s representative at the International Astronautic Federation (IAF). She is also responsible for liaising with The Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI).

English, French, Spanish

Admitted to the Portuguese Bar Association. Admitted to the Timor-Leste Bar Association (Conselho de Gestão e Disciplina).

Law Degree, University of Lisbon, Faculty of Law. Strategic Space Law Program, Institute of Air and Space Law, McGill University (2014). Compact MBA for Law Firm Leaders, Porto Business School and VdAcademia (2014).